


Skating Side by Side

by Rin_the_Shadow



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Budding Romance, Discussion of Culture Shock, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Let the X-Men Be Happy 2018, Let the X-Men Be Happy 2k18, Puppy Love, Rollerskating, prompt from a friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 20:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13348470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rin_the_Shadow/pseuds/Rin_the_Shadow
Summary: Set in the alternate timeline a few months after X-Men: Apocalypse, Kurt Wagner and Ororo Munroe go on a date to a roller-rink. Naturally, it is very different from the Munich Circus. Fluff.





	Skating Side by Side

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my dear friend who gave me this prompt in a valiant effort to stave off an impending Writer's Block. I might not have been able to think of it myself otherwise, but it was such a delightfully corny idea there was no way I could ever have resisted. 
> 
> Although Alan Cumming's portrayal of Nightcrawler in X2 will always be very dear to my heart, these new X-Men are quite precious in their own right. (And hey, who am I to complain about my favorites getting more screentime?)
> 
> Additionally, there is a chance I will continue to edit this story for wording and whatnot. But in any case, please enjoy!

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ororo Munroe raised an eyebrow at the blue teleporter’s determined struggle to put on his skates. Even before she asked, she already knew the answer.

“Yes, I would like this very much.” He glanced up to meet her eyes before yanking the skate up by the heel. “Besides, I would not want to have wasted all of Doktor McCoy’s work after he spent so much time getting these made for me.”

He gave the show a particularly sharp tug before ducking his head and looking up at her through his bangs. “Um…could you help me with..?”

A small smile played at the edge of her lips. “Of course, Kurt.”

Within seconds, she had his skates on and laced up. She stood and held out her hand. “You ready?”

“Ja.” He clasped her hand and let her pull him to his feet, wincing at the sudden pinch in his ankles and trying to disguise it with a smile of his own. Of course, she hadn’t missed it. Even with the modifications Hank had made to accommodate his three-toed feet, the fact remained that Kurt simply wasn’t used to wearing shoes. Still, she knew how he would answer if she gave him the option to do something else. At this point, he’d probably start worrying that _she_ was the one who wanted to cancel.

Ororo stepped into the rink, and, bracing against her hand, Kurt followed. Almost immediately, he let out a tiny yelp and fumbled for the wall to keep himself from smacking the floor as his legs shot out from under him and he toppled over.

Ororo did not consider herself the type to giggle. It had always been just a little too coy for her liking. But a startled breath slipped past upturned lips all the same.

“Woah, there. You okay?” She held out her hands, palms up, in front of her, partially to show she wasn’t mocking him and partially to catch him if he made another attempt.

Luckily, they had chosen a time when not many people would be at the Rock’N’Roller Rink. Despite his cheerful and friendly disposition, Kurt tended to be skittish around people he didn’t know well, and was incredibly sensitive besides. Her own days surviving on the streets of Cairo just a few months behind her, Ororo didn’t trust herself not to strike back if someone said or did something. Even though they’d been out and about a few times (sometimes to the mall, sometimes elsewhere) and the Professor had assured her that anti-mutant prejudice was unusually low at this time, she didn’t trust people not to see a weakness and attack it.

“Ah, it’s very different from the Munich Circus, ja?” He laughed nervously, unwrapping himself from the railing. “It goes forward and I go backward.”

Tension draining from her shoulders, she replied, “I’ve noticed. You want some help or..?”

“You can go ahead and skate around if you like. I will catch up?”

Ororo shook her head, lightly folding her arms. “All right, but just a lap or two, okay? Don’t forget we’re on a date,” she added, enjoying the deep purple that colored his cheeks.

 

* * *

 

Ororo had never been skating before this. Yes, some of the others had gone out a few times, but she’d always declined before. It had taken her some time to adjust to Westchester County, and although she’d always prided herself on being able to roll with the punches, there were still times when she just needed a break. It was part of how she’d gotten to know Kurt, who absolutely loved trying every new thing, but would get so caught up in the new culture that he would completely overwhelm himself. Ororo had learned to pick up some of the cues: nervous twitching, fidgeting with his tail, smiling, but not making eye contact, longer gaps before he would answer. Still, he struggled to make himself say no when the others would invite him somewhere. So she’d taken to stepping in when she saw it. “Sorry, guys. Kurt’s gotta help me with some things. Rain check?” She suspected Jean knew the truth behind her excuses, but if she did, she was gracious enough not to say anything. But speaking of Kurt…

She turned to find him inching along the rails, tail coming up to steady himself every few seconds. He chewed his lip, focusing on pushing one foot forward and not accidentally sliding it back. She smiled, shook her head, and started over.

“Hey.” He jumped when she startled him out of his concentration, missing the rail and grabbing for the wall.

She caught his wrist before he could completely topple and hoisted him back to his feet. He blushed purple and looked at the ground for a moment.

“Come on,” she said. “I’ll take you around and give you some pointers. I’m still learning myself so you can help me, too. What do you say?”

Kurt’s tail wound around his ankle as he considered it. Even though he’d been focused on going three steps without falling, he’d watched her for quite a bit of the five minutes she’d skated. Still learning or not, he doubted she really needed his help. But then, as she’d pointed out, it _was_ a date so she probably just meant she wanted to skate _with him_ , but…

“What if I fall and I pull you down with me?” he asked.

“We get back up and keep going. Like when you first learned trapeze, right?” That earned a smile as he peeked at her from behind his bangs. “Or you can teleport us out if it gets too much for us.” She nudged his ribs as he stifled a giggle.

He pushed away from the wall. “Okay. We can try it.”

“First, you’ve gotta relax a bit.” She ran her hands over his arms, trying to soothe tense muscles. “I’m not going to let you fall.”

He swallowed and nodded, trying to obey her advice. “At the Munich Circus, I would fall sometimes from very high up. I have had worse than this. It will be fine.”

“Yeah, that’s the spirit.” For a moment, she contemplated taking off with Kurt in tow. _Maybe another time_ , she thought. She didn’t want to give him a heart attack right after calming him down.

She laced her fingers between his, something which had taken them awhile to work out between her five and his three, but she’d never forget his beaming smile and her own surge of triumph when they'd finally gotten it; and then they were off.

“You’ve already got the basic idea,” she coached. “It’s like walking, but instead of stepping, you put your foot down, then you push forward, like you’ve been doing. You can watch a little, but try to keep your eyes up. It’ll help with your balance.”

They moved forward a few paces, slower than Ororo had been, but steadier than Kurt had been. A small but contagious smile spread over his face as they took another step, then another.

“Ororo,” he whispered, as if it was a spell and he was afraid of breaking it. “Ororo, look.”

“I see,” she replied, giving his hand a firm squeeze. Then suddenly her smile turned mischievous. “So…does that mean you’re ready to start turning?”

The color drained from his face. “ _Was_?”

 

* * *

 

Initial shock aside, Kurt was surprisingly okay with turning. Standing side by side, Ororo would lean her hip into his to guide him around the corner. The first time, he felt the change in angle and, thinking he was falling, panicked and latched onto Ororo, who swayed wildly to keep them both up without running over his tail.

“It’s okay,” she reassured him. “I’ve got you.”

He unwound from her slowly, reminding both of them of a time when that kind of slip would have drawn frantic apologies in at least two languages. He smiled a little. “I would like to try it again?”

She found her grip on his hand. “Of course.”

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, Ororo had convinced Kurt to let her pull him around the rink, skating backwards and guiding him by both hands as they whooped with laughter. Occasionally, she would turn a particularly fast loop, and his eyes would widen and his tail would lash about or wind around his ankle or her wrist. Then they would round the corner and that beaming smile would return.

 

* * *

 

Every so often, he would slip, but Ororo would manage to catch him by the wrists or under the arms and pull him back up. Initially, it took a moment or two before he was ready to keep at it. Gradually, that time became shorter and shorter, and his repetitions of, “I have fallen worse in the Munich Circus” grew fewer and fewer, until a reassuring squeeze of the wrist or brief bashful smile was all he needed.

She never could quite convince him to skate without holding her hand. The first time she tried letting go, he went forward about two paces before his tail wrapped tight around her calf and he froze.

The second time, she decided it was better to ask first. “Hey, Kurt?”

“Hm? Yes?”

“You’ve gotten pretty good at this. Wanna try a lap or two by yourself?” she offered. “I can follow, of course.”

He glanced off to one side. “I suppose…I could try it, but…um…”

 _That_ , she recognized. “You can say no if you don’t want to, Kurt. You can always try it some other time.”

It was impossible to miss the wave of relief that washed over his features. “Of course…then…perhaps the next time we could try it?”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “That’d be nice.”

 

* * *

 

As the day rolled on, the crowd started to pick up, and the two decided to head out before things got too claustrophobic for them. Kurt still staggered a little as they exited the rink, meeting the bench with his hands and tail before guiding himself onto the seat. The skates came off far easier than they had gone on, Ororo noticed.

“So,” she asked, cocking her hip slightly. “Did you enjoy it?” The Rock’N’Roller Rink was, after all, his idea originally.

He stood, toes flexing at their newly-regained freedom. “Yes, I liked it very much. Did you enjoy coming here with me?”

“Yeah,” she grinned, reaching to wind her fingers through his. “We should do it again sometime.”

His gaze turned suddenly shy, eyes flitting between her lips and their hands. “I think I would like that.”

Ororo leaned in and gave him a quick peck. Kurt blushed purple to the roots of his hair.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am hopeful that I did these characters justice. I greatly enjoyed writing this, and would love your feedback if you desire to give it. 
> 
> I had also wanted to touch a little on the subject of culture shock in the story, even if only briefly. Though I don't know that I've experienced it myself, it seems like it's something that's occasionally glossed over in some X-Men media? But I figured since there was no villain in this story, why not? 
> 
> In any event, I hope you enjoyed reading this.  
> ~Rin


End file.
